'Hey Eric, what are we doing for Christmas Eve?' Asked Kelso, who was snuggled up on the couch with his arm draped lazily over his girlfriend.

'Well, my parents are throwing their usual dumb holiday party, where everyone's like, hey neighbor, is that a mistletoe? Smooch, smooch, blargh.' Eric gagged, contorting his facial features into a stupid look as he ran his tongue sloppily over his lips for emphasis.

'Wow, is that how you intend to kiss Donna? If so, good luck with that.' Teased Janet from beside Jackie on the couch, as she tilted her head back to look at him and smirked.

Eric's ears flushed red with embarrassment as he mouthed the words, 'shut up!' at her, while his eyes darted over to the oblivious redhead beside him who hadn't heard the remark as she was too preoccupied with decorating the ugly, balding Christmas Tree erected in the basement shower.

'Can one of you guys fetch me a ladder?' She asked them, still messing with the tacky ornaments, her t-shirt and jeans covered with glitter residue from the tinsel causing her to gleam like a disco ball.

'Sure thing.' Said Hyde, being helpful and offering her a step-ladder, holding it steady as she climbed up on it and placed a twinkling star atop the tree. 'How's that look?' She asked them, tapping her chin with her index finger in consideration as she examined her hard work and frowned up at the crooked star that was teetering far too much to the left.

'Oh yeah,' smirked Eric, his pale eyes burning into her behind as he admired her feminine curves that were now at eye level. 'Looks great.' He told her, hungrily.

'Fantastic.' Hyde agreed, checking her butt out as well and nodding his frizzy head in appreciation.

'God, Donna your ass looks amazing.' Added Janet, mocking the two males who were openly drooling over her and rolling her eyes at the perverts. This gained the tomboy's attention as she cast Jan a puzzled look before peering behind her and catching the men checking out her bum. She rolled her eyes and stepped down, 'I meant the tree, jerks.' She clarified with a soft chuckle. 'You two are pathetic.'

'Come on,' Began Jackie, tugging on the hem of her boyfriend's sweater as she rose abruptly to leave, putting on her expensive, wool coat. 'Let's go to the mall to buy presents. Daddy gave me some money.'

'Oh boy, can I get a new Light Bright, mines missing a ton of pieces.' Kelso perked up at the mention of dough.

'No, Michael.' The brunette rolled her eyes dramatically in annoyance, it seemed all three females were in a distinct eye-rolling sort of mood that day. 'That's a children's toy, act like a man.' She scolded him.

'Hey, Light Bright is the bomb.' Jan corrected her, speaking seriously. 'I remember when you first got that thing, damn, it was years ago.' She recalled.

'See, Wake gets what I'm talkin' about, Jackie. Please? It was the best gift ever!' Pleaded Kelso. 'If you want to buy me something, buy me that!'

'True, it was the only reason I ever hung out with Michael, to play with his new Light Bright after school.' Janet revealed honestly.

Kelso pivoted to peer down at her, frowning and looking overly wounded. 'I always thought you had a crush on me as kids, that's why you were so eager to come over my house.'

Janet snorted out loudly in an rude fit of laughter, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she continued cracking up at the ridiculous notion of her ever having a crush on dumbass, Michael Kelso. 'That would be false.' She managed to get out, winded from laughing so hard.

'You're so mean.' Kelso pouted, poking out his bottom lip as Jackie dragged him towards the door, growing inpatient and wanting to go shopping. 'How can somebody so hot be so gosh darn mean-OW!' He jolted, rubbing the now stinging arm that his girlfriend had just roughly pinched as she glared up at him. 'Let's go!' She demanded.

'Alright, alright!' He submitted, hardly having the time to slip on his jacket as she forced him out the door.

'Wait up, I'll go with you.' Called out Donna after them. 'Are you coming, Jan?' She asked her.

'No, I don't have any cash.' The brunette shrugged, her expression indifferent.

'I could lend you some-'

'No, it's fine. Just go.' She reassured her, waving her off. She didn't feel like being a charity case.

'Alright, see you later.' She bid them farewell.

Eric dismissed himself, heading upstairs to try to talk his strict folks into allowing him to throw a Christmas party of his own this year. Fez, Hyde and Wake were silent for a while as they all watched The Grinch on the television screen and relaxed, zoning out.

'Hey,' Hyde began, speaking up during a commercial break in the program. 'What's the best gift you've ever gotten?' He asked them both, his tone thoughtful.

'Erm-' Jan struggled to recall, as she considered his question.

'That's easy,' Fez decided with much assurance. 'When I was seven, my parents got me a cock. I named him Adoodle. He was the best chicken ever.' Said Fez merrily, as he fondly recalled the pet.

'Why did you name him Adoodle?' Wondered Janet, her expression mildly intrigued. She admired Fez's originality, he was always interesting to be around, to say the least.

'You named your cock?' Laughed Steven, grinning devilishly. 'I might have to give that a try...'

Jan chucked a pillow at him, shaking her head in feigned disapproval at his cheeky remark, though she found it quite hilarious.

'You know, cock-Adoodle-doo. That's the noise that a rooster makes, so it seemed befitting.' Fez explained.

'That's actually witty as hell, man.' Praised Hyde, looking rather impressed, thinking of Fez' cock.

'Okay, good news everyone. The Christmas party is ON for this year!' Thundered Eric, jogging back down the steps in glee.

Janet was helping her father at the family business, Foto Hut, in downtown Point Place. The holiday season was when business was booming, as merry, perfectly ordinary families rushed to get their Christmas portraits developed and sent out in cards to family, friends and neighbors with festive, over-used slogans like, 'Seasons Greetings', and 'May Your Holiday be Merry & Bright', here's a picture of my beautiful family, my children are cuter than yours, Na-Na-Na-Na.

'Wow, check this out.' Mused the tired brunette, who had been working long hours at the hut all month long. Her father, Leo, came over beside her to examine the photograph she was observing clutched between her fingertips.

'They are ALL wearing the same houndstooth sweater vests. They look so stupid... Do normal families really do cheesy crap like this each year?' She wondered aloud, frowning down at the perfectly matching family of eight. They were like some creepy set of figurines, fake and hollow inside, with pretty, painted on smiles.

'That's trippy, man.' Said Leo, blinking hard his bloodshot eyes as he absorbed the busy, black and white pattern littering the photograph, which made his eyes sore. 'We should get a family portrait done. Just the two of us, in matching sweaters, smiling all happy like these guys.' He pointed a dirty finger at the photo. 'They look like they have it all figured out, you know? This mess we call, life.'

'Please, for the love of God, tell me you're joking.' Janet winced, feeling horrorstruck.

'Yeah, I s'pose you're right. It would be silly.' Her father shrugged, wandering off into the dark room where he developed the photos for his clients.

Janet carefully slid the portrait into a paper envelope that said 'Foto Hut' in bold, black script on the front and set aside the parcel that was ready to be picked up by the customer. She felt a tad bit guilty, sensing that she may have been too brash and hurt her sensitive father's feelings, so she made a minor attempt at making it up to him, being it was the season of giving and all. Now was a good time to start giving a shit about her father's feelings, she decided, feeling her chest swell with the spirit of Christmas. Goodness, she was like a real-life Grinch, she realized.

'Hey dad, why don't you take the afternoon off and go relax. You look awfully tired. I can handle things down here.' She kindly offered, as she ignored her stomach grumbling with hunger, begging her to take a much needed lunch break.

'Yeah, that would be great. Thanks, Jan. You're a real nice kid sometimes, you know that?' He decided, smiling warmly at her.

'Yeah, well. You're a decent father sometimes.' She countered flatly.

Leo put on his old, faded jacket with a few crusty cigarette holes burnt into the fabric. 'I'll see you later tonight at the Foremans for the Christmas Eve party we've been invited to. They are awfully nice folks. Aren't you friends with their daughter or something?' He struggled to remember.

'Eric is basically a girl, so yeah. I'm friends with her. We've been friends for years, dad, like since the first grade...' She informed him, slightly hurt deep down that he was so completely oblivious to her existence. It was almost comical, like they were strangers on the street. He hardly knew her at all, she realized.

'Oh, cool.' He nodded, his tone mellow and spaced out.

'You actually intend to go this year? What's up with that?' She wondered, casting him a suspicious glance as she stole the store keys from his breast pocket so that she could lock up the store later at closing time.

'I'm trying to take an interest and be a more responsible and attentive parent. It's what that nice Kitty lady advised me, when we spoke on the phone this morning. She told me she's been looking after you when I'm not around, so I thanked her and then she invited me to this party she's having tonight and I said, sure, man, I'll go.' He explained.

'You've been keeping in touch with my father. For how long?' Janet was asking Mrs. Foreman later that evening, pulling her aside briefly in the kitchen and offering to help her refill the punch bowls.

Kitty laughed nervously, looking a little uncomfortable as she rubbed the back of her neck.

'Please don't be upset with me, it's Christmas Eve.' She reminded the haughty teenager, clearly anxious as she sensed the oncoming conflict.

'Of course not.' Jan agreed, being reasonable. 'I'm touched honestly, it's nice to know that somebody cares enough to look after me.' She confessed, looking sheepish.

'Aw, well, ain't that just the sweetest thing?' Kitty beamed, giggling in relief as she gently pinched her cheeks. 'I've been calling him here and there for years now, keeping in touch, letting him know that you're doing well, that if he ever needs you or becomes too worried, wondering where you're at, that you are likely over here at our house, safe and well looked after.'

The brunette frowned, feeling embarrassed and downright pathetic, like an orphan or something. She might as well be wearing rags the way that Mrs. Foreman was gazing at her softly, with such pity clearly written upon her face. She felt deeply sorry for the girl. Kitty had always considered Janet to be the most delightful out of all of Eric's friends, so helpful and good at keeping secrets, like all the times that she helped her orchestrate birthday parties for her son over the years, never once did the girl let the surprise slip. She was a well-mannere kid with a good head on her shoulders, and it had always baffled the Foremans as to the reasons why Leo and Tara Chingkwake seemed to hardly acknowledge their lovely daughter's existence.

'Thank you, for your kindness and the energy that you've put forth in trying to persuade my deadbeat father to give a crap about me, but, as I'm sure you're aware of by now, he's a lost cause. He's never going to change. He's never going to give a damn. So you should stop trying so hard and just give up on him, like I have. There's far less opportunities for disappointment when you never get your hopes up to begin with.' The pessimistic teenager wisely advised before cradling a bowl of punch in her weedy arms and delivering it out onto the coffee table, like Kitty had wanted.

Janet sulked on the steps, chin resting in her clammy palms as she observed the party with sheer boredom mixed with rising aggravation as her stoned father made a complete fool of himself, showcasing his stupidity for all of the world to see as he awkwardly mingled with the more polished guests.

'You look like you're contemplating suicide. Damn, Janet, it's Christmas! Who doesn't love Christmas?' Kelso asked her, looking baffled. He had been making his way back downstairs after using the Foremans bathroom and had stopped briefly to chat with his depressed friend.

'It's my dad.' She confessed with a scowl. 'He's so unbelievably embarrassing.'

'You're nuts!' Kelso objected, 'you're dad is the coolest dad ever, who do you think sold us all the beer downstairs?'

'Wait, there's beer downstairs? What the hell, nobody told me!' Janet groaned, springing up from the steps and rushing towards the basement door, her mood uplifting.

'Yeah but we can't drink it until all the adults are too drunk to notice us.' Kelso called after her in warning as he made a move to follow her lead, checking out her butt in the tight, bell bottom jeans that she wore, as he did so.

'They're drunk enough.' Janet decided sternly, daring him to stop her.

'Hey, before you get too wasted. I have something for you.' He told her seriously, beaming with pride as he handed over a sloppily wrapped present.

'You know I don't have any cash, I couldn't get you guys any gifts-' she began to argue weakly, feeling suddenly guilty as she reluctantly accepted the rectangular, lightweight box.

'It's no biggie, I didn't have money either. Jackie paid for it. It's from us both, but I picked it out so, really, it's pretty much totally all from me. You're going to love it, come on, open it already.' He demanded, bouncing on the ball of his heels with childlike excitement that caused the glum girl to grin in amusement as she gently tore off the red wrappings.

'A Light Bright. Awesome.' She told him, thanking him for the gift.

'I actually do have something for you.' She told him, handing over a plain, emerald envelope.

'I already know it's a 30% off coupon for Foto Hut.' He chuckled, accepting the lousy gift that she gave to each of her friends every single year.

'Indeed, I'm sadly far too predictable, and broke.' She confessed, brushing back a loose strand of chestnut hair behind her ear just as Jackie and Donna appeared at her sides.

'Merry Christmas, my gorgeous, poor friend!' Shouted Jackie in her ear, causing her to flinch in pain as her eardrum nearly burst. 'Jesus, Jackie.' She cursed, massaging her ear.

'She's been acting like a fool ever since we got back here. She's far too happy for even ME to handle, and it's Christmas Eve for crying out loud, so I'm pretty gosh darn happy.' Informed Donna.

'I just love you both SO much.' The midget beamed, loosely draping her short arms over her freakishly tall friends broad shoulders.

'Please don't.' Jan winced, finding her jolliness to be physically painful to endure.

'Here's an awesome present to cheer you up. I saw your dad upstairs, that was a rough sight. You must be mortified.' Donna frowned with sympathy, offering her a large, thin wrapped box that was a bit heavier than Jackie and Michael's gift.

'Groovy!' Exclaimed the brunette, genuinely pleased as she held up a new pair of blue jeans and admired them. They weren't faded and frayed like the ones she always wore.

'Yours have seen better days,' Donna observed, as if she had been reading her thoughts. '-so it's thoughtful AND practical. I know, I'm amazing.' The redhead boasted merrily, smiling as the reserved, aloof female offered her a rare, warm embrace.

'Thank you, I really appreciate it.' Said Janet gratefully, pulling back from the friendly hug.

'My gift is by far the greatest.' Came Eric's cocky tone from behind them as he gave her a small, wrapped box.

Janet unwrapped it and arched a dark brow as she held up a 4oz vile of strong, floral-scented perfume. 'Cool, why bother ever showering again when I got this to mask my stench?' She joked, spritzing some on her wrist and giving it a whiff.

'Wow, that actually smells really nice. Thanks, Eric.'

'You're quite welcome.' He grinned, extending a box similar to Janet's in shape, but larger, to Donna. 'Merry Christmas, Donna.' He told her.

Jan passed around emerald envelopes to all of her friends, except for Hyde who had just joined them, to him she gave him a larger, yellow envelope.

'Coupons? Thanks Chingkwake.' He casually greeted her, stuffing the envelope in the breast pocket of his flannel jacket to open later. 'Tell your old man, we said thanks again for the beer.'

'Will do.' Jan replied evenly, eyeing the now crinkled envelope with a hint of disappointment written upon her face. It wasn't coupons. She'd actually given him something really thoughtful and had wished to see him open it but wasn't going to push him to.

'Hey Donna, Merry Christmas.' He greeted the female beside her far less gruffly, his pale, blue eyes glimmering with warmth as he sheepishly handed over a present wrapped in newspaper.

Donna sat down with Eric and Hyde on either side of her on the couch as she opened Hyde's gift first. It was a framed photograph, crinkled at the edges, of the pair of them as kids broadly grinning, the summer sun beating down upon their faces, causing their eyes to squint.

'Wow Hyde, this is great. Truly...where did you get this?' She wondered in awe, examining the photo with fondness and brushing her index finger over it as she recalled that distant summer afternoon.

'Ah, it's nothing.' He dismissed, his ears flushing ever so slightly. 'I've had it in my drawer forever, I just put a frame on it and, well, here you go, the lamest present ever.'

'It's not!' Donna reassured him. 'It's so sweet and thoughtful of you, Hyde.' She gushed.

'Yes,' spoke up Eric beside her, green with jealousy. 'It's so sweet and thoughtful.' He mocked with a glare in the sly blond's direction. 'Now open my gift, Donna.' He beamed happily.

'Oh,' she breathed, a bit taken aback as she examined the 12oz bottle of perfume that he had bought her. The very same perfume that he had given to Janet... 'Cool, now Jan and I can smell alike, I guess.' She chuckled awkwardly, looking uncomfortable.

'Well, no...wait, Erm- I hadn't really thought of it like that.' Eric furrowed his brow. 'Well, your bottle is much bigger, see. Because I like you more.' He pointed out.

'Lucky me.' She smiled.

'Well this isn't weird or anything.' Observed Janet uncomfortably. 'I'm getting another beer...' She decided, feeling her stomach burning with anger. She was peeved but wasn't sure why she felt so on edge, like she wanted to fight somebody if they even glanced at her the wrong way.

The alcohol only amplified these negative emotions churning within her. An hour and a six pack later and she was brooding in the corner, watching as Fez giggled and flirted with a gaggle of cheerleaders fawning over his exotic accent.

Meanwhile, Hyde was outside having a smoke. He reached for his lighter in his breast pocket when he felt something jab him, looking down he remembered Janet's gift, her lame Foto Hut coupons. As he withdrew the yellow envelope it rattled softly, sparking his interest. He opened the parcel, shocked by what he found inside...

'Hey Janet, can I talk to you for a second?' He had ventured back inside to find the peculiar girl. She was clearly drunk, in fact he'd never seen her behave so sloppy. It wasn't like her to let herself become this out-of-control.

'Sure!' She perked up, stumbling towards him and nearly falling flat on her face. Hyde moved to catch her, offering his arms as she collided straight into his chest, breathless and disheveled as she giggled, acting as if it were the most comical thing in the whole wide world.

'My legs are broken! Holy crap.' She laughed into his neck.

'Just hold onto my arm and come with me. If the Foremans see you like this, we will all get in trouble. What were you thinking?' He wondered, scolding her as the roles were oddly reversed, he was the one behaving responsibly and she was the one being reckless.

'I'm thinking you're sort of hot. I like this hair. This hair, right here-' she slurred, reaching up to gently twist a frizzy lock that had fallen against his brow between her fingers.

Steven's blue eyes widened by a fraction, caught off guard by her drunken advance upon him, but not complaining either. Her cool, slender digits felt nice in his hair, but this was not the time for a relaxing scalp massage. He wished to discuss something serious with her but doubted how well that would play out for him with her acting so ditzy due to the booze she had consumed.

'As flattering as that is, Wake. Please, stop petting my head and listen up now, alright?' He pleaded with her as he carefully guided her down to sit in the backseat of Eric's vista cruiser so that they could talk for a moment alone.

'I'm cold.' Janet instantly whined once inside the frosty vehicle, shivering and rubbing her arms for warmth. She was wearing nothing more than a band t-shirt and jeans.

'Here,' he said shaking off one sleeve of his jacket and pulling her snugly against him then draping half of his flannel over her shoulders. She leaned her head against the crook of his neck, settling comfortably into his frame. Her eyes were becoming heavy-lidded with exhaustion and the desire to drift into unconsciousness became more and more appealing the longer that she snuggled up against the warm man beside her. She fought the urge to black out, blinking forcefully her eyes awake as she tilted her chin in order to peer up at him. A logical part of her brain, fogged and hazy with intoxication, but still present, reminded her that this was serious. There was something that Hyde wished to discuss with her and she needed to do her best to sober up for him.

'What's up?' She asked him quietly as their blue eyes met.

'I wanted to thank you, for the present. It was unexpected. Which is weird, since you're the most predictable woman I know.' He began, his expression hard to read.

'Come on, I'm not that easy to read am I?' She lightly pouted.

'Easy to read, hell no. I have no idea what's going on in that crazy head of yours.' He admitted with a gruff laugh. 'But predictable, yes. You like routines, you like stability, you like knowing all the facts first before deciding upon anything, even the most mundane things. You're miserable most of the time, like a storm approaching. It's easy to predict that most of the time, whatever you're about to say or do will either be dull, depressing or sting. So this,' He held up the yellow envelope in her line of vision, rustling as he fumbled to open it. 'Was... The nicest, sappiest thing I think anyone has ever done for me and I'm confused...why?' He asked her, trying his very hardest to figure this mysterious girl out.

Janet looked down at the photographs that he clutched, from a distant, melancholy past but in oddly pristine condition, still shiny and new as the day they were taken back when Steven Hyde was just a small child.

'I found them, at my dad's shop.' She explained quietly, still staring down at the glossy picture of a little blond-haired tyke beaming with pride as he sat perched atop his father's broad shoulders, holding his can of beer for him as his dad steadied him by the ankles, keeping the toddler balanced in place while the camera bulb flashed, capturing the simple moment that was deeply meaningful to Hyde now that he was grown.

'You're mother must have never paid for them and picked them up. They've been waiting there for years, forgotten until I discovered them the other day. I know it's not much, in fact it's nothing, but I just figured it was right for you to have them. It's only considered a gift because it's Christmas Eve, it's not technically a present, since I'm simply returning something which is yours, so no need to thank me-'

Janet stopped speaking as she caught the way that the rebel was staring at her intensely, his eyes burning with so many mixed emotions, when she glanced back up casually at him. She had expected a much lighter reaction from the jokester, instead what she got left her speechless. His blue eyes were so bright when she was this close to him. She'd never noticed the flecks of green that dotted his iris. A single tear snaked halfway down his left cheek, Janet watched it in fascination. It were as if time ceased to exist and they were stuck in an eternal now. The tear darted ever so slightly, deviating from its path as it met rough stubble and dodged the hair follicles before eventually coming to a stop and drying up. He must not have noticed that his eye was leaking, or simply didn't care enough to swat it away, which was strange. Hyde was never this open with anybody. She'd never seen him display any sort of emotion other than his occasional bouts of anger. Never sadness, never feelings of sentiment, never words of tenderness. He usually didn't care enough to be vulnerable. He was typically too shut down and void.

Jan slowly shifted her gaze from his jawline back up to his eyes, which unnerved her as they remained locked upon her. Her lips parted a fraction as she exhaled, her breathing ragged as her heart hammered and sweat saturated the palms of her hands. She was nervous and stunned, sober now and completely aware of the strange reality she was being thrust into. The mood between them was so surreal, like a dream. Was this just an illusion? Was she really passed out and asleep, reeking of cheap beer and perfume that burned the back of her throat.

'It's nothing...' She breathed, trying to convince him, trying to dismiss the intensity of the meaningful moment as her entire being froze stiffly beneath his burning gaze. His pupils devoured her, feeling as if she were sinking ever so slowly into an abyss of darkness as every minute detail of the man holding her so closely, so bravely, without a wall in sight to guard his heart, seemed to swallow her entirely until she found that she was drowning in a sea of him, and what was even more bizarre was the realization that she wanted desperately for him to consume her.

'It's everything.' He objected in a low, husky hiss. It seemed being this close to her was having a very similar effect on him as his eyes fluttered shut and he pressed his forehead to hers, tenderly, his expression pained as if it were physically hurting him to hold back and resist the magnetic current drawing them together. This was already too much, he'd crossed a line, he was half aware. It would be awkward later, it would be hard to laugh away his actions, blaming it on the beer and holiday cheer corrupting his judgement but he needed to touch her somehow. He yearned for it, however brief. He didnt understand why, but he knew with certainty that he needed to communicate in someway how much the photographs had meant to him, he needed to express the emotions such an unexpected act of kindness had stirred within him and he found that he could not say in words, what he was feeling inside, so he pressed their foreheads together and rested his tired eyes. Maybe this way she'd understand it all, somehow, through his mind.

Boring, predictable, cautious Janet Chingkwake did something unforeseen. Something uncharacteristically daring and delicate. She was the first to cease resisting. She was the one to cross completely over the threshold and into the ancient abyss that tempted her and had won, seducing her. She shifted so that their noses touched first and for a brief second Hyde's eyes shot back open in disbelief, before closing once again as warm lips ghosted against his own. Suddenly he was on fire, the emotionally frigid woman whom he would have predicted would have an opposite effect on him, was now an inferno that burned him with her searing heat, stirring within his core a raw passion that he'd never before experienced in his life. He'd kissed many girls, some prettier and some meaner than Janet Chingwake and never once had he felt like this. Like she were consuming him, like they were one entity, powerful and flourishing with passion, warmth, and light.

He groaned with pleasure, that's how badly the girl had effected him. His body was vibrating, he was literally humming with satisfaction, craving more as if she were his addiction but the euphoria didn't last, unfortunately, as a familiar voice interrupted them and they both came to their senses, the blissful parallel universe that they had created together shattered as they broke apart, gasping for air.

'Not you two.' Groaned Red Foreman, knowing nothing good could ever come of this.